On Saturday, June 29th, Promotion & Education chair and brains behind the operation, Joe Draper, held the county farm bureau’s first farmer to consumer-focused event. Given the name of Connecting our Community, the focus of the program was to deliver the message to local consumers, where does my food come from? Several volunteer members woke up that morning ready to share their wealth of knowledge about the agriculture industry and help to debunk the myths that social media tends to betray to the general consumer.
One volunteer member, Scott Welden of Scipio township shares, “I see potential for strengthening community involvement, membership growth, and connecting with Hillsdale County citizens.”
Consumers venturing to the Farmer’s Market downtown at the courthouse lawn on that Saturday morning were surprised to learn that farmers were anxiously awaiting their arrival. Consumers were given a reusable grocery tote to stuff with agriculture-related materials and their favorite items they purchased at the market. They could choose from a variety of materials that were donated by some of our state commodity groups including recipes, nutrition facts, agritourism venues in Michigan, and much more with both adult and child focused resources. There was a little something for everyone!
Agriculture bingo cards were distributed to promote farmer to consumer discussion. Farmers were stationed throughout the vendor booths next to an agriculture commodity sign featuring commodities they might find at the market to expose them to facts and statistics they may not be familiar with. This conversation sparked some great conversation and learning experience for families as they strolled through their local farmer’s market. They then received a stamp on their bingo card which once full gave adults and children the ability to choose from a variety of prizes. Some of the prizes included pizza cutters, lanyards, and whisks (donated by United Dairy of Michigan donated); corn holders, work gloves, sunglasses hot/cold packs, and golf tees (donated by Michigan Corn); and spelt flour cookbooks and samples (donated by The Anderson’s).
“I thought the concept of the program was great and interaction with consumers went well. While the youth seemed to really enjoy the bingo cards game. I did witness one family with 3 small children attempt to find each sign on the bingo card and played as a family, talking about each sign. I thought that was neat watching mom and dad take the time with the kids and not just collecting stamps”, commented volunteer member and President of Hillsdale County Farm Bureau Amber Kohler.
At lunchtime, consumers were provided a free lunch that the county farm bureau purchased from Hillsdale Brewing Company which included a ham or turkey sandwich, chips, and a water. The brewing company is one of a few businesses that purchase local food products, and the County Farm Bureau was glad to help reciprocate supporting their business.
“I heard a few people say they thought it was great that we were there promoting where food comes from and it was nice to see farmers there [farmer’s market]”, shares Cami Marz-Evans of Litchfield Township.
It was great day at the farmer’s market and wonderful sight to look out at consumer’s holding their new bright green grocery tote knowing that we [farmers] had the opportunity to connect with our community and share where their food comes from. The volunteer members were also very grateful for the warm welcome from the vendors and hope to connect in the future.
If you would like to get involved with our county farm bureau or learn more about coming programs, please visit us on our website, Facebook page, or contact the office at (517) 437-2458.